Mummy & Moose
clapping, napping and yapping our way through the day

Review| Retro fun with Lite Brite

We received this product for the purpose of writing this post. All opinions remain honest and our own.

Back in the 1980s I wanted a Lite Brite so much! I never got one for Christmas but my best friend did and I have vivid memories of playing with it for hours in her room. 

I always thought of it as an ’80’s toy but apparently it’s quite a bit older than that. It goes all the way back to the 1960’s! 

What’s in the box?

  • A Lite Brite Ultimate Classic Board
  • 200x coloured pegs
  • 6x Art Templates
  • Full instructions
  • Art Guide

How do you play?

Easy and fun for all ages, follow the pre-designed pattern or create your own bright & colourful masterpieces, to create beautiful pictures that glow! Creates 4 different light shows to enhance your art – from blinking, pulsing, steady and random.

Built for travelling, this is a perfect take along for any car ride, road trip or out of the house activity needs. The Lite Brite takes 3 AA batteries – it is worth noting that you can play without the batteries, it just obviously won’t light up. 

What did we think?

I think I was far more excited to play with the Lite Brite than Moose was! What I hadn’t bargained on though was this being a hit with a teenager. 

Moose had a grand old time following the template for the mountain scene – there are 6 to choose from. He seemed to really enjoy following the guide and took great pride in getting it exactly right. I thought this was brilliant for his cognitive skills and I think he would have really benefitted from something like this perhaps toward the end of his reception year. 

Bess had a go at the unicorn template and enjoyed that but what she really liked was being able to let loose her imagination and create something unique! Anything which puts a smile on a teenagers face is fine by me.

They were both impressed with the light up element of the lite brite. It has 4 different light mode shows and there is a stand on the back of the lite brite so that you can display your creations. 

As well as being a great toy to play with at home I would definitely bring the Lite Brite along when we are allowed (finally) to take a trip. I can see this toy being a hit at Grandmas house because it’s a nice quiet way of playing.

The Lite Brite retails at around £19.99 and is available from Smyths

 

Review| Cool Maker Go Glam Nail Salon and Hollywood Hair Extension Maker

Disclaimer – we were sent both of the Cool Maker products featured in this post free of charge in return for an honest review.  All opinions are our own

If there is one thing I know about girls is that no matter what else interests them, they all at some point want to be just like their Mum. Maybe not for long and almost definitely not in front of their friends but at some point they will copy what you do or what you say and hold up a mirror to your own self in a way that only daughters can.

With this in mind. It makes it all the more important that you show them good habits and there aren’t many places easier to do this than by teaching them to take time out for self care.

Self care can mean vastly different things to different people. Some might just need a good book and a comfy spot, others a clear space and some music to move to. My sister Jo, along with writing at The Knight Tribe also enjoys taking care of her hair and nails and as little girls do, my nieces love to play with her pretty nail polishes and hair bits and bobs.

When I was asked to review the Go Glam Nail Salon and Hollywood Hair Extension Maker I just knew that my Sisters girls would love them. I was not wrong..

Go Glam Nail Salon

The GO GLAM Nail Salon is really easy to use.

First, choose a pattern and pop it into the machine. Next, paint each finger or toenail with one of the non-toxic GO GLAM nail polish base coats (two colours included).

Then place your nails under the dryer, switch on the button and wait five minutes for nails to dry. Lastly, insert each nail one at a time into the machine and press the button to stamp. Remove your nail from the stamper to reveal a perfectly patterned nail. Paint on a layer of shiny top coat (included) and GO GLAM with your squad.

For even more nail polish and pattern combinations, look for the GO GLAM Pattern Pack and Mini Pattern Pack refills (each sold separately) and never run out of ways to style your nails. The GO GLAM Nail Salon is a fun sleepover party activity and is a great gift for birthdays or special occasions for kids aged 8 and up.

My sisters nails always look lovely so I wasn’t too surprised that the Go Glam Nail Salon was a massive hit with her girls too. They loved it. I think it will get used a lot.

even though this is a toy it is such a neat piece of kit. I cannot wait for lockdown to be over so that I can visit and have a go too!

Hollywood Hair Extension Maker

Design, create and style your own hair extensions! Customise a hair ribbon with the included markers or choose a printed design. Load your ribbon into the Hollywood Hair Extension Maker. Next press the button and watch as it magically transforms into a stylish hair extension! Use the heatless curler to create beachy waves, tight curls, sleek straight looks and more!

It was so cute to see how invested the girls were in designing their very own hair extensions. I love that you could choose ribbon in any colour or pattern to create a unique look.

Both of the sets are £19.99 and are available from Smyths and Amazon.

Funko Games: Marvel Battleworld and Something Wild! | Review

The products in this post were sent in exchange for review. All opinions are honest and my own.

Marvel Battleworld

Moose absolutely loves superheroes. I know a lot of children do but with my child it’s next level. He watches the Marvel movies pretty much on repeat and plays with his action figures constantly. When he isn’t doing that he is making up stories and talking about battles. So yes, he is quite a fan!

He was absolutely delighted then to receive a Marvel Battleworld ball to review from Funko.

What’s inside?

Inside the Battleworld ball you will find

  • 1 Hero, 1 Hero Card
  • 5 Battle Cards
  • 1 Thanostone (containing a mystery Hero)
  • Instructions.
  • 1 mystery Hero Card sealed in black plastic
  • 1 Attack Die
  • 5 Danger Tokens
  • 1 Danger Coin

 

How do you play?

I will be honest, this is an easy game to play but it did take us a couple of goes at reading the instructions before it clicked. I would recommend watching this how to play video.

 

What did we think?

Moose really loved playing this game. Once we got the hang of it it was an easy and pretty quick game to play. You can play as a single player but I think it would be much more fun with multiple Battleworld balls. The little character are incredibly cute and well made – the detail is everything you would expect from a Funko figure.

Priced at just £6.99 I think that this would make a really great stocking filler and with it’s mix of collectible, blind bag style and fast paced game I could see it being a really popular toy.

Something Wild Game

Card games are always a big hit in our house. We love games that don’t take lots of time to put together. Even better are those games that don’t take long to play. Something Wild ticks both of those boxes. Better yet it comes with a cute little Funko character!

What’s inside?

Inside the box you will find

  • 45 Character Cards
  • 10 Power Cards
  • 1 Funko Pop Character
  • Instructions.

How do you play?

Something Wild! is a quick card game that feels a bit like a mix of Go Fish and Uno. The objective of the game is to play down a set of 3 cards of the same number/character or a set of 3 cards of the same colour in sequential order, and when this is accomplished you’re able to collect the Power card in play. When you’ve collected 3 of the 10 Power cards, you win the game.

What did we think?

I really enjoyed playing this game and I know Moose did too! It was also a hit with the teenagers. A good, quick game that has an air of familiarity about it which will appeal to the whole family. Definitely a great game to take on a holiday (remember those?)

Something Wild is available to buy from Amazon and prices start from £6.99 making it another great stocking filler idea.

Tonka Metal Movers and Micro Movers | Review

When I was a little girl I owned a Tonka tractor. I have no clue how old I was when I got it but I remember it very well. Heavy, green and with it’s own trailer (good for ferrying around all manner of creatures). My brother would nab it at any given opportunity but despite his best efforts it always came back to me in perfect condition. Not a scratch on it. Ever.

Tonka has been around since the 1940’s. That means that in our family, Moose will be the 4th generation to play with toys from the Tonka brand. Quite impressive then that the brand doesn’t really appear to have strayed from it’s core products. Diecast metal vehicles which are built to last. To me, Tonka is one of those toys you don’t throw away. Rather, they get passed down. One of my aims for this year has been to ensure that I am choosing quality over quantity for Moose’s toy collection. Tonka definitely fits with that perfectly.

boy happy with tonka toys

Tonka Micro Metals

What’s in the box?

Our pack contained 3 vehicles we could see which were a fire truck, a police cruiser and a garbage truck. It also contained some ‘Tonka Tough Dirt’ and …a mystery box!

If you know Moose you know how excited he gets about blind bag style toys so this aspect was a massive hit with him. Inside his mystery box he found a mini version of the Tonka dumper truck! He was very happy with this.

Each of these micro versions measures approx 4cm making them great for playing with at home but also when you are on the move. I always let Moose bring a little bag with his choice of toys when we go on holiday and these Micro Metals would be perfect.

The Tonka Micro Metals come in an emergency vehicles pack which we received and also a construction site pack which I am sure will be on Moose’s Christmas list this year. Each pack retails at around £10.

Tonka Metal Movers

What’s in the box?

We were lucky enough to receive the Metal Movers combo pack and a few of the Metal Movers mud rescue.

The Tonka Metal Movers combo pack contains a bright yellow bulldozer and dump truck. Both vehicles are, once again, really sturdy and feel as though they could take a lot of playing with. The detail on the vehicles is fantastic and they are easy to use. Moose really enjoyed filling the truck with the Tonka Tough Dirt and emptying it out again.

The Tonka Metal Movers Mud Rescue sets are a great idea and a little bit different in that the first thing your child needs to do is to use the little tools included to dig the vehicle out of the dirt! This set was priced a little lower than the others and I think would make great birthday party gifts or pocket money toys. Inside this set you will find the aforementioned tools, a vehicle, some cones and fences, some Tonka Tough Dirt and an awesome Mud Rescue medallion.

 What did we think?

This one was not a hard sell for me. I have loved the Tonka brand for a long time – these new Metal Movers sets only reinforced that Tonka is still a great brand which offers amazing quality toys which will last and last. Moose really loved playing with all 3 of the sets and he will definitely want to add to his collection now. He has also asked that we get some for his best friend – high praise from a 6 yr old indeed!

You can find Tonka Metal Movers in all good toy shops including JLP, Shop Direct and Amazon. Be sure to check out Tonka tough time for fun new activities and chances to win! 

Review: Harry Potter Magical Capsules – Unleash the Magic!

This product was gifted for the purpose of this post. All opinions remain honest and our own.

I feel like I missed the boat a bit when it comes to Harry Potter – well, the books at least anyway. They came out when I was in my late teens and had fallen out of love with reading. I have, however, seen all of the films – and I loved them too!

So it’s through the films rather than the books that I found my love for the wizarding world. I will listen to the books on Audible but I find the films stunning to watch. We took Col and Bess to the Warner Bros tour a few years ago and we all had an awesome time. They, unlike their mother, have read the books and seen the films.

Over Christmas last year I sat with Moose and watched Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. He was fascinated! He wanted to know more about Harry Potter following our review of the invisibility cloak. From the first chimes of the music, he was hooked.

harry potter magical capsule

What’s in the box?

Discover the magic of Harry Potter with the newest collectable for the Wizarding World. Each bronze Hogwart’s Crest contains one of our favourite characters from the Harry Potter series. Series 1 features 10 characters to collect with these listed on the handy collector card. 

Each crest contains two clues to the character inside. 

Open compartment number 1 to reveal a heat reveal Hogwart’s Crest. Which House could your character be in?

Open compartment number 2 to reveal a spell name. I can’t see it…its written in secret ink and will only be revealed when you dip the paper in water!

So you know the Hogwart’s House and the spell name….real Harry Potter fans will know who is hidden inside the crest….

Open it up to reveal 4 wrapped parcels…save the biggest till last…to finally know which character you’ve got! 

Each character comes with 3 accessories and 2 clues!

What did we find?

Moose loves toys with a surprise element so the Harry Potter Magical Capsule, with it’s 3 surprises was an absolute winner. I did wonder whether he would know the characters because to be fair he had only watched the first film a couple of times but I needn’t have worried – he knew who we got straight away!

Compartment number 1.

Inside the first compartment you will find a Hogwarts crest. This crest is heat activated and, with a little rub, will reveal the colour of your characters assigned house. Of course, Moose got Gryffindor! This was our first clue…

Compartment number 2

Our second clue as to the identity of our mystery character was to be found in compartment number 2. This was a mysterious strip of card with a water droplet depicted upon it. Moose clocked that this meant that we had to wet the strip (what? I hadn’t had my coffee yet!!) and ran off in the direction of the downstairs loo. A quick splosh later and the ink was made visible. It was a spell! Expelliarmus!

Compartment number 3

The final reveal was, of course, the big one. Who was our character? It was Harry Potter himself! Moose was so excited to find a mini Harry complete with luggage, a wand, a letter from Hogwarts and of course, Hedwig!

What did we think of the Harry Potter Magical Capsule?

I think it’s true that a picture speaks a thousand words so I will let Moose’s expression do the talking here. He was THRILLED with this toy. I initially thought that £9.99 was a bit highly priced for a surprise toy but having seen and felt the quality of the figures inside as well as the Hogwarts crest case (which of course you could use to keep the bits together) I have been pleasantly surprised.

The age rating on the packaging is 3+. I would probably suggest that 3 years old would still be a little young just because there are small parts and the figure itself may be slightly too delicate for tiny hands. Moose at age 5 loved it as did Bess at age 14. I am definitely going to be choosing these as a stocking filler option this Christmas.